


17.Selfie Together

by w_hope



Series: KHR Flufftober 2020 [17]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult Arcobaleno (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Don't copy to another site, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Healthy Relationships, Nonbinary Mammon | Viper, Not Beta Read, POV Third Person, The Chosen Seven Era, i love that for them, viper & skull are best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w_hope/pseuds/w_hope
Summary: Viper learns how to ride a bike.
Relationships: Mammon | Viper & Skull
Series: KHR Flufftober 2020 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945450
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

“You won’t _ever_ speak to another soul about this.”  
  
Skull tightens Viper’s knee protection, makes sure it won’t slip down their legs.  
  
“You _will_ take this to your grave.”  
  
He tightens their elbow protection too, rolls the hem of their sleeves away from their gloved hands.  
  
“I will mess up your mind _so_ bad if you even say only a peep. I’ll make you regret your entire existence. I _will_ fucking kill you Skull, do you hear me?”  
  
“Good luck with that,” Skull says in a sing-song voice. He lowers their hood, making light of their tainted ski goggles, and claps their helmet around their head. “Here you go.”  
  
He steps back to take Viper in.  
  
They’re dressed into the smallest clothes Skull found in his closet, a black leather pant tucked into black combat boots, and a light purple sweater that looks cutely oversize on them.  
  
And of course, all the protection needed to learn how to bike safely, plus their ski goggles, looking even bigger because of their little face.  
  
“Oh, Viper.” He laughs fondly. “You look _ridiculous_.”  
  
“Go jump off a cliff.”  
  
Skull laughs harder, and Viper huffs. They turn to the bike, their arms crossed on their chest.  
  
“Did you ever teach _anyone else_ how to ride a bike?”  
  
“Well, as a matter of fact, I did. And they’re all still alive and kicking, if that’s the real question.” Skull stands in front of the bike, his hands on the handle. “Ready when you are.”  
  
“If you let me fall to supposedly rid this fear out of me or whatever _bullshit_ , Skull, I swear…”  
  
“What?” Skull says, offended. “You know I won’t do that, come on. Don’t you trust me?”  
  
Viper stares at them, then sighs loudly, their arms falling along their body. They pass one leg over the bike, grabs on the handle too.  
  
“Okay, now the _real_ question is if your jelly-like legs will be able to move the pedals.”  
  
“Fuck off.”  
  
Skull snickers, shakes off the bike once while they try to put both of their feet on the pedals. He dodges the tentacle swing, holds back on more laughter.  
  
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop, promise. Here.” He rounds the bike, one hand still on the handle, the other on the back seat to keep it steady. “Try again.”  
  
Viper successfully gets both of their feet on the pedals. They get the bike moving, Skull walking slowly alongside it, still holding on it.  
  
They ride a foot or two that way, before they lose balance. Viper laughs, relieved and proud and happy.  
  
“That was nice.”  
  
Skull beams. “Right? I _told_ you driving anything is the best thing in the world.” He bumps their shoulder together playfully. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time too. Ready to go again? Maybe alone this time?”  
  
“Don’t you dare.”  
  
Skull laughs. “Okay, but remember not to cheat with your flames, alright? Oh, we _absolutely_ need to do this too.”  
  
He wraps an arm around their shoulders, takes out his phone.  
  
Viper pushes his face away from them. “ _No_.”  
  
Skull fakes to bite on their hand. “Hell _yes_. Or would you rather I wait for you to fall on your butt first?”  
  
“I’ll kill you.”  
  
“That’s what I thought.”  
  
Skull gets close again, holds his phone in front of them. “Make your most ugly face for the camera on three—” Viper snorts, and he grins “—two… one…”  
  
The flash goes off. They both laugh at themselves before even looking at the result.  
  
Viper sighs. “You’ll send the pictures to the others, won’t you?”  
  
“Can you blame me?” Skull smiles his most lovey-dovey smile. “You just look _so_ incredibly cool right now, I really have no other choice but to share it with the rest of the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Skull and the others Arcobaleno could come to an understanding eventually. But it’s also one of the few AU I feel like Skull wouldn’t want that.
> 
> Sometimes you fuck up and just don’t get to amend for it, you know? And honestly? Good for Skull, and it’s the Arcobaleno’s loss azsertyui.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading!
> 
> \--- w_h


	2. Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some thoughts/headcanons I have about this verse.

  * Okay so this is one of the few AU where I want to play with the Arcobaleno maltreating Skull.

  * Not the full-blown abusive relationship, even if any level of abusive at all is bad, I think we can all agree with that.

  * And Skull decides he just won’t bother with them either. He doesn’t fight back because he knows better than to fight back, but he still asserts his boundaries in no uncertain terms.




* * *

  * Viper on the other hand really can’t fucking bother with this whole “bully the weak” business.

  * And they’re kind of neutral at first, but quickly go “No, you know what, back the fuck off. How old are you? If the problem _really_ is that he isn’t good enough skill-wise to be part of the team, this sure as fuck _isn’t_ the way to teach him anything.”

  * (And maybe Viper has a “victim of bullying” type of backstory here, and decides he’ll do better by him than anyone ever did by them.)

  * I read a fic once where Viper and Skull were best friend, and _hell yeah_ , they totally would be best friends.

  * It starts kind of slow because they have to gain Skull’s trust first, but they stand firm by his side against the others Arcobaleno, and _do_ earn his trust eventually.

  * And then they just hit it off like crazy.




* * *

  * Viper finds him _hysterically_ funny, and he’s not even trying most of the time, and it drives them crazy because they can’t crack a joke to save their life.

  * They _can_ come up with one and a thousand ways to mess with people using their Mist flames, but it’s never actually what you can call _harmless fun_.

  * Skull helps with that, and it’s one of their favorite bonding time for the both of them.

  * Viper just likes how it’s so much easier to breath next to Skull, how their world is lighter to bear on their shoulders.

  * They would have never indulged in it if Skull was just a civilian (Active or not), but he’s not _just_ a civilian anymore (won’t ever be again), and it’s sad but if their world teaches them one thing it’s to make the most out of the sad (to downright tragic) things.




* * *

  * Skull is just glad he found someone willing to stand by his side during this crazy turn his life took. And someone he can trust, and on top of it someone he actually likes.

  * And Viper has his own unique aesthetic, so they aren’t about to judge each other on that. They’re actually really enthusiastic about each other’s aesthetic.

  * It often happens Skull puts make-up on Viper while wearing their cape during their sleepovers.

  * And Viper… isn’t dead set on getting rid of everything civilian about him.

  * Skull is aware there're some parts of him that just won’t survive the mafia world, but he calls bullshit on needing to essentially completely change the person he is.

  * And Viper is actually willing to compromise, and doing things at his own pace, and they _do_ confront him to the reality of the mafia world but without, you know, coercing him or undermining him in the process.

  * (And what do you know, it _is_ fucking possible.)




* * *

  * Skull is “asked” to join the Carcassa famiglia to partake more in the mafia and learn, but jokes on them because he fits _right in_. And actually enjoys his time there.

  * First off, the Carcassa are all about leather jumpsuit, and riding bikes and cars at whichever speed they feel like, which would have single-handedly won him over.

  * But they actually _respect_ him, as inexperienced and new he is to the whole thing? And they _value_ him?? Until the point they give him _people to command_???

  * And they let him prove himself and find his footing in the mafia—well, _not_ at own his pace because it’s a luxury no one can afford, which he understands, but he calls bullshit too on the fact there’s no middle ground they can meet at, which the Carcassa _actually_ meets him at.

  * And maybe it’s for all the wrong reasons at first (him being a would-be Arcobaleno, and a Cloud, and also, you know, _immortal_ ), but then—and Skull is the first one surprised—they value him too for the skills Skull prides himself on and actually worked hard on (his driving skill, his quick if unique and resourceful thinking, his strategic side).

  * Arcobaleno _who_??? Skull don’t know them.

  * (Viper gets introduced at some point to his new group of friends, and complains all the way to growing to like them lol.)




* * *

  * Viper never has driven anything ever in their life.

  * Skull is _gobsmacked_ when he hears it for the first time, and then straight up calls bullshit for _days_ on end.

  * But it explains a lot. The way Viper refuses any and all rides unless they absolutely have to, the way they get sick even when Skull is driving at the speed limit, the way they just say hilariously nonsensical things whenever they want to comment on driving in general.

  * (Skull never drives at anything but turtle speed limit apart from missions whenever Viper is in the car from then on.)

  * Skull, of course, absolutely _needs_ to teach them in this very moment. But then he learns they never even rode a bike either, so they start with that.

  * And the jelly like legs comment is actually relevant because Viper is lazy and float and/or Mist themself everywhere.

  * They’re walking for fifteen minutes, and are complaining like it’s been two hours lol.




**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Skull_ teaches Viper how to _**drive**_ , and the world becomes a more dangerous place azdfghjkl.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading!
> 
> \--- w_h


End file.
